The Hub of the Gay Universe: An LGBTQ History of Boston, Provincetown, and Beyond

Since the coming of Europeans to Massachusetts in 1620, LGBTQ people have been an important presence. They

challenged gender, social, and sex norms in the 17th century.

were welcomed into the upper reaches of Boston society in the 19th century

contributed to the great effort to liberate LGBTQ people everywhere in the 20th and 21st centuries.

From the Trans Day of Remembrance to same-sex marriage, Boston has been at the forefront of the battle for LGBTQ rights. Meanwhile Provincetown has been welcoming out LGBTQ people to its beaches and nightspots since at least World War I.

The LGBTQ hisory of the region includes heartbreakingly sad moments that will make readers angry, and increadilbly happy times that will make them wish they had been there to share in the fun.

This book tells this important story so that all may appreciate the rich history of all Boston.

The book will be released in April, 2019.﻿

A few facts about Boston LGBTQ history!

Despite the severity of colonial sodomy laws, men seem to have escaped prosecution unless they also challenged religious authorities. Though many men were executed for sodomy in England and in other colonies, none were executed in Boston.

Julia Ward Howe, the author of the Battle Hymn of the Republic and one of Boston's leading socialite, scandalized many by hosting a lunch in honor of Oscar Wilde during his visit to the United States. When criticized for her hospitality, she took to the press to defend herself.

Three important trans institutions began in Boston: The Tiffany Club, Fantasia Fair, and the Trans Day of Remembrance. With strong eveidence that people challenged conventional gender rolls back in 17th century Boston, trans people in Boston have a long history of organizing themselves to oppose violence and discrimination.

LGBTQ activism predates Stonewall by decades. Gay men in 1918 were arguing against police repression, the first anti-sodomy petitions reached the State House in the 1930s and the last years of the 1960s saw rising anger and increasing numbers of LGBTQ people joining rights groups.

A book of this magnitude depends on the efforts of many other people. The most important source for the book is the History Project, the archives of LGBTQ people of Boston, is one of the most important keepers of history in the country. Research also included archives at the Boston Athenaeum, the New York Public Library, Northeastern University archives, Harvard University, Historic New England, and many other places. It depends on interviews, oral histories, diaries, scholarly works by others, newpaper articles, and newsletters.